New University of Iowa public safety head jumped from officer to director in 7 years

IOWA CITY — Continuing his rapid climb among the University of Iowa Department of Public Safety ranks, co-interim Director Mark Bullock will keep the title of assistant vice president and director of public safety for the UI, administrators said after they had looked nationally for the position.

Bullock, 36, first joined the UI public safety team seven years ago in September 2014 at the age of 29. He started as a peace officer but was promoted to sergeant after eight months on the job, and then captain that same year, earning $75,000.

Both Bullock and longtime UI Police Chief Lucy Wiederholt in November 2020 were named co-interim directors after Scott Beckner announced plans to retire after serving only four years.

In announcing Bullock’s hire this week, UI Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations Rod Lehnertz said in a statement the appointment will provide stability and “decisive leadership” as the department works to bolster relationships across campus in service of students, faculty and staff.

“Mark Bullock has a deep understanding of our campus community and the important work that lies ahead for the Department of Public Safety following the Reimagining Campus Safety process,” Lehnertz said, referencing a committee that then-UI President Bruce Harreld established during the summer of 2020 to “develop a new future of public safety for the campus.”

The committee’s formation was precipitated by national protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and it was charged with identifying strategies and timelines for creating a campus that’s safe for everyone.

Bullock was the “public safety representative” on the committee, which delivered five recommendations in August to new UI President Barbara Wilson — including providing non-law enforcement response options for mental health calls; investing in holistic safety services, like mental health; creating a safety and accountability board; and collaborating with local public safety agencies. In its implementation phase, UI public safety recently hired student care coordinators and increased mental health resources, according to the UI Office of Strategic Communication.

Bullock will assume his new role Jan. 3, making $205,000 a year.

He was making $127,500 as interim co-director, up from his captain’s pay of $88,268. Wiederholt will return to her role as associate director and chief of UI police, where she’s been serving since 2010.

In a statement, Bullock said he’s a “lifelong Hawkeye” and is “genuinely devoted to public service, leadership, and community partnerships.”

“I cannot express the immeasurable amount of pride I feel in having the opportunity to lead this department,” he said. “I look forward to building partnerships across campus that support the university’s mission.”

Bullock, a Bettendorf native, graduated from Bettendorf High School in 2004 and worked as an emergency medical technician for three years before beginning his law enforcement career in 2008 with the Memphis Police Department in Tennessee, where he earned a department medal of honor.

After joining the UI police force in 2014 — while quickly climbing to sergeant and then captain — Bullock simultaneously pursued a bachelor’s degree in justice and ethics and a master’s in business, officially achieving the master’s first in 2020 and then the bachelor’s earlier this year.

He also graduated from the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command in 2016. He’s been chosen to attend the 2022 FBI National Academy, making him the first UI representative to do so.

During his time at UI, Bullock has been named in several lawsuits — including as a defendant in one filed in May 2018. In that case, a former UI police officer accused both Beckner and Bullock of violating his veteran’s rights when they placed him on administrative leave pending an investigation into his search of a residence hall room — just weeks before he was scheduled to be deployed for another military tour.

In May 2020, a District Court judge dismissed the lawsuit, asserting the state had shown the plaintiff was “guilty of misconduct by ‘conducting a warrantless search of two students’ residence hall room without their consent’ and by behaving unprofessionally while conducting the search.”

The Iowa Supreme Court in August upheld that ruling, upon appeal.

Bullock also was named in several lawsuits accusing Beckner and others of age discrimination — pointing to Bullock as an example of ways in which they were being replaced by younger, less-experienced employees.

“Bullock never served as a lieutenant, which is the rank between captain and sergeant at DPS,” according to those lawsuits. “The minimum amount of experience of the four lieutenants at the time was five years. Bullock was not objectively qualified for the captain position.”

Those lawsuits resulted in settlements in May, with the UI not admitting any wrongdoing, paying out a total $150,000 to the three different plaintiffs.

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